->''"Not every peg needs to be crammed into some trope hole, even if it seems vaguely apropos."''-->-- '''Creator/AndrewHussie'''

Sometimes an EntryPimp forgets that TropesAreNotGood and tries to shove an example from their favorite show into a trope where it doesn't fit. It may not be the fault of the contributor because the description of the trope left the emphasis on part B while part A is the important part. Or maybe the name of the trope was [[WordSaladTitle confusing.]] Or perhaps the original definition of [[MissingSupertrope the trope was something so specific or esoteric that new examples tend to be something related to, but not quite, the trope's original intent]]. But often it is because the contributor did not understand the standard and direction the trope was describing. This of course may result in a [[TropeDecay trope suffering]] {{Flanderization}}.

Tropes have several pieces that come together to make it the trope that it is. There is the main point of what the trope is about, and then there are appendages that help define it among other tropes. An appendage may be the more proper location for an example if it doesn't align with the main body. For minute differences, consult the CanonicalListOfSubtleTropeDistinctions.

Sometimes it's just not an example, it has some fleeting resemblance to the name or the examples but doesn't belong in the trope. Sometimes it's an aversion that isn't notable in any way -- the series just didn't use that trope, but it's neither common nor expected in that genre, so why would you point out that, say, Literature/TheBible doesn't have SpacePirates?

Another common sign that an example does not fit is if [[WeaselWords words like "arguably" or "to some"]] are coated around it. A trope is either there or not there, and if the word "arguably" is used, it's probably not. Also, words like "arguably" and "possibly" are [[Administrivia/ConversationInTheMainPage natter]] bait. [[Administrivia/ExamplesAreNotArguable Don't write "arguable examples".]]

One of the most common causes is simply that the name doesn't fit and invites misuse, which is why we have the trope repair shop and Administrivia/RenamedTropes. Sometimes users just misread names (such as thinking that ScarfOfAsskicking requires only a scarf, when it means scarf + asskicking).

In any case, if an example doesn't fit, don't add it. Someone else will just delete it anyway. The absolute worst case scenario is when the examples override the intentions of the description, which makes it [[TropeDecay a different trope altogether]].

Compare NotASubversion, where an example is labeled a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] when it's another form of playing, and NotADeconstruction, where an example or work is taken for a {{deconstruction}} when it's used in some other way, usually just DarkerAndEdgier or subverted. The non-trope version of this is YouKeepUsingThatWord.

See also CanonicalListOfSubtleTropeDistinctions for tropes that are easily confused with one another.

----!!Since there are way too many individual examples to list, list examples of tropes that tend to get a lot of this.

* In general, {{Audience Reaction}}s about the general perception of a large group of people are often used to describe the feelings of a [[OpinionMyopia single person]]. For example, TheScrappy is meant to be used for characters hated by most people, not just [[ComplainingAboutCharactersYouDontLike characters YOU dislike]].* This is also generally why tropes are no longer named after specific characters (beyond [[FanMyopia the assumption that everyone has heard of that character and thinks of them specifically as the absolute epitome of the trope]]) - people begin potholing any occurrence of said character's name to the trope, regardless of the topic at hand.

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[[folder:A-D]]* AbsoluteCleavage refers to when a character's outfit shows not just their chest, but part of their stomach too. Most examples are just "this character has noticeable cleavage".* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap refers to a level {{cap}} that is way higher than what is needed for or can be reached by the endgame, not simply level caps with high numbers. Conversely, an AbsurdlyLowLevelCap is not a level cap with a low order of magnitude, but rather a cap that can be reached well before the endgame.* An AccidentalAesop is when a work that's meant to have no moral actually has a pretty good moral. However, many examples are more a case of BrokenAesop (in which the moral the work is trying to teach is contradicted by the work itself), CluelessAesop (in which a moral's effectiveness is botched by poor presentation), AlternateAesopInterpretation (where a moral is presented but fans see a different one), EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory (where people see religious symbolism, but not necessarily morals, in works where there is none), or just plain FanDumb.* An ActorAllusion has to be intentional. Two characters in different shows played by the same actor coincidentally being in an (arguably) similar situation does not count.* It seems that the amount of times AdaptationDistillation gets used as this for [[GushingAboutShowsYouLike gushing about adaptations someone likes]] outnumbers the times it is actually used correctly on this wiki. For the record, it's about works which manage to capture the essence of a LongRunner in a brief adaptation without resulting in ContinuityLockout.** Relatedly, people used to keep trying to push a work as a {{Reconstruction}}. No, distilling everything that makes a character or work awesome in an adaptation is Adaptation Distillation, hence the name. Luckily, this seems to have died down.** Much like the above, AdaptationDecay is supposed to be when certain elements of a show are simplified or modified so it can translate to whichever medium it's translating to. It's not supposed to mean [[Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike "adaptation that I think is worse than the original."]] The misuse has gotten bad enough that its page now no longer allows examples that are not InUniverse.* For AesopAmnesia, sometimes people mistakenly use ForgottenAesop, a redirect to LostAesop which is about AnAesop that the ''work'' forgot, not the character.* AgeAppropriateAngst is meant to be about examples where a character's angst is justified by their youth. Half the examples listed are just various characters who have traumatic backstories.* AKA47 is about weaponry in video games being [[CaptainErsatz given a different name for copyright reasons]]. Every now and then a page that ends up mentioning the AK-47 assault rifle will have its name potholed to the trope because, hey, it's only missing one letter, that's gotta count, right?[[note]]Ignore that most AK-47's in games nowadays are actually AKM's, and thus would count for this trope.[[/note]]* AllAnimationIsDisney is about an animation being mistaken for a Creator/{{Disney}}[=/=]Creator/{{Pixar}}[=/=]Creator/DreamWorksAnimation production, not necessarily something that uses Disney's animation style, which is {{Disneyesque}}. While these two tropes may overlap, they're not the same thing.* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation was about subtext that leads one to believe there [[HiddenDepths is more]] ([[StepfordSmiler or less]]) to a character [[BeneathTheMask than meets the eye]]. Now it is often used to describe characters that have wildly different characterizations between adaptations or even hidden personalities one could rule out right off the bat.* AluminumChristmasTrees is supposed to be about something that clearly sounds fake but does actually exist. Any item or process that sounds even ''slightly'' improbable gets a pot hole to the trope reading "these actually exist" or "this is actually possible", no matter how well-known the "this" in question actually is.* AmbiguouslyBrown is meant to refer to a character whose skin is noticeably darker than the rest of the cast, but their ethnicity is never touched upon. It now tends to refer to any character whose skin isn't milky white.* AmbiguouslyGay is often misused as HomoeroticSubtext when it's supposed to mean "looks gay and/or shows gay stereotypes, but has no clear sexual preference."** For that matter, AmbiguouslyBi gets misused a lot in the same way (mostly as "this character is part of a heterosexual OfficialCouple but has HoYay with someone else"), since it's supposed to be used for characters who are implied to be bisexual without explicit confirmation.* SugarWiki/AndTheFandomRejoiced is meant to be about moments that cause people who were initially uninterested in a new work in a favorite series of theirs, or a new adaptation of a familiar story, to suddenly get excited about it due to a bit of preproduction news that shows that the creators care. It tends to get used for any good preproduction news in general, and for especially anticipated works the subpages can essentially consist of ''every'' new detail about the work that emerges.* AnimationBump does not mean "any kind of good animation," only good animation from a scene in a movie or episode that doesn't consistently have animation that good.* AntiFrustrationFeatures, originally meant to refer to instances within a video game in which the normal rules are temporarily suspended to prevent frustration, has been used not just for [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin any feature that makes the game less frustrating than it would otherwise be]], but also for game ''sequels'' that change mechanics from ''previous'' games to be less frustrating.* AnyoneCanDie does not mean "My favorite show once had a character die."; it means that ''no character is safe from dying in any way'', hence the trope name.* {{Arcade Game}}s are a ''[[VideoGameSystems platform]]'' of video games, not a ''genre'' -- they can include all sorts of genres aside from certain long-form styles such as the RolePlayingGame. Yet, whenever a video game trope has examples folderized by genre, "Arcade Game" sometimes shows up as a genre folder.* ArmorPiercingSlap is when a woman easily slaps around a character much stronger than she is, usually for the sake of comedy. That's why it's called "Armor Piercing" slap, and not "regular slap" as some people think.* AscendedMeme is a meme spawned by a work that was put into the work later because it became a popular meme. It is often misused as a ShoutOut to any meme, whether it came from the work or not.* AuthorsSavingThrow happens when an author retcons or tries to justify a controversial decision in the story. This is more than just "listening to fans complain". If a plot point makes more sense after a revelation that's not an example if it was intended by author no matter the initial reception.* AwesomeButImpractical refers to skills, units or items that ''are'' powerful, but rendered useless by exorbitant requirements. A lot of examples are just CoolButInefficient.* In retrospect, this was probably inevitable with "Awesome Yet Practical", which frequently received examples that were [[ExactWords awesome yet practical]]. Its initial purpose was to be a counterpart to [[MundaneMadeAwesome What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?]], describing cases where that trope should have applied but the thing in question was somehow awesome anyway. It was eventually cut.* AxCrazy is often used where AnAxeToGrind would be the proper trope. Ax Crazy does not specifically have anything to do with axes; the focus is on "Crazy".* BadassDecay refers to a character who was one incredibly {{Badass}} but is now largely ineffective and perhaps even comical. It's gotten to where if they lose one fight, they've gone through decay.* BadassNormal describes a character without superpowers who manages to be {{Badass}} in a setting where other characters '''do''' have superpowers, particularly against said superpowers. The second, crucial aspect is frequently ignored. And occasionally they forget the first, believing human automatically counts as being "Normal," even if said humans can fly under their own power and shoot energy beams out of their hands. And even that gets ignored, with aliens with not super-impressive superpowers getting labelled as such.** If you're looking for a trope for heroes with lame powers that manage to be awesome, you have a couple of choices. HeartIsAnAwesomePower for seemingly lame powers that turn out to have genuinely awesome applications and ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman for when the plot contrives to make the lamely powered character useful. Might possibly be an EmpoweredBadassNormal.* BadBadActing is a form of StylisticSuck, when a character in-universe acts very poorly, played for laughs. It often gets pot holed to any kind of BadActing in general.* BadBoss is used way too often instead of the correct trope MeanBoss. A Bad Boss is one who will ''kill'' his minions for the slightest of motives, or no reason at all. A boss who's just abusive to his employees is a Mean Boss.* BadExportForYou is when the creators of a work intentionally water something down when they export it. It's not about any export that sucks.* BaseBreaker and BrokenBase are supposed to mean exactly what they say: something that ''divides'' the fanbase, i.e. some love it and some hate it. Both are frequently used for events/episodes/characters etc. that the fanbase ''unanimously hates''. If that's the case, consider looking in the ScrappyIndex for a more fitting trope.** Also of note is that Base Breaker refers solely to ''the characters themselves'', not the [[BrokenBase schisms caused by]] certain plot developments, [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation character interpretations]], [[ShipToShipCombat shipping matters]], etc. These are all base-''breaking'', but not Base Break''ers''. In the case of comparing individual installments over the span of a series, these instances are covered by ContestedSequel.** BrokenBase is also for issues within a specific fandom, not for the reception of a work as a whole. Those who dislike a work are obviously not part of the "Base".* BatmanGambit has suffered from the same decay as XanatosGambit. It's supposed to refer to a plan which relies on predicting how people will behave when confronted with certain situations. But as with Xanatos Gambit, tropers have gotten it into their heads that it means "any clever, convoluted plan."* BerserkButton is misused a lot as "something that pisses off anyone, for any reason", but it isn't a hot button issue, it isn't something that annoyed someone when they were in a bad mood, it isn't something done until the person snaps, it isn't a laundry list of things that annoy them nor is it something that would make a hostile response an entirely reasonable reaction. The first one goes under SoapBoxSadie, the second and third ones describe the straw that broke the camel's back, the fourth one is HairTriggerTemper, and the last one isn't a trope. The last one generally is misapplied to when a character starts getting much more on edge when their family is threatened - in order for the trope to come under effect they have to be pushed beyond all reason. If it really is a radical change, but they are still reasonable it could fall under LetsGetDangerous.* BeyondTheImpossible used to be about a series repeatedly ''topping'' itself, such that escalation (''not'' continuation) continues even after you're certain it's peaked in whatever area. Many of the pot holes seem to use it as a NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer. It has since been redefined to be ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin with its original definition going to SerialEscalation.* BigBad is meant to describe the villain/antagonist who is causing the main or one of the main conflicts in the story. However, it's often mistakenly used as "main villain" instead of "conflict causer".* BiggerBad is often used as a synonym for TheManBehindTheMan, while it actually means "a more powerful evil presence than the Big Bad, but less involved in the conflict of the story." The two ''can'' overlap, but only if the man behind the man isn't nearly as big a presence in the story as the man he's behind. It also gets misused a lot as "Big Bad, [[Administrivia/TheSameButMore only more powerful]]" by tropers presumably not reading past the name. They are more significant threats than Big Bads in the setting as a whole, yes, but what sets them apart from just being a more dangerous Big Bad is the Bigger Bad's disinvolvement in the plot.** Part of the description for BiggerBad says "However, note that the Bigger Bad may be part of why the villain became the Big Bad in the first place.". For some reason, editors have latched onto this while ignoring the other paragraphs that define the trope, and think that being responsible for a problem automatically qualifies a character. ''[[Series/BreakingBad Walter White]]'' has been called a BiggerBad, despite the fact that he's the main character of his show.* BigLippedAlligatorMoment is very often used as a term describing any example of MoodWhiplash, {{Padding}} or mild strangeness. For it to be an example, a scene has to be completely unforeshadowed and out of nowhere, irrelevant to the plot, bizarre even in context, and never mentioned again afterwards. If a scene doesn't fulfil all of those requirements, it's not an example.* {{Bishonen}} refers to a very specific aesthetic involving delicate, androgynous men and boys. It is ''not'' supposed to be just another word for "guy that I think is kinda hot."* BraggingRightsReward is reward that that ''could'' have been useful if the player didn't have to do everything else to get it. If it wasn't useful to begin with, it's a CosmeticAward.* BrainBleach is when something is so {{Squick}}y, a character ''in-story'' makes reference to 'bleaching my brain' or something similar. It's not just a carryall term for anything to do with fan fiction, crossovers, and ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''.* BrickJoke is a funny event which is set up early, but the punchline doesn't come until later. It's not [[ContinuityNod a reference to something that happened before]] [[RunningGag that just so happened to be funny]]. It also isn't a funny joke that gets used again later unexpectedly, which is either a CallBack or a ChekhovsGag. It's also not (necessarily) a joke about bricks.* BrokenAesop is meant for morals contradicted by the work itself, but it's often instead used for "bad" morals, which fall more accurately under FamilyUnfriendlyAesop.* BulletHell refers to {{Shoot Em Up}}s with a ''lot'' (usually at least 100) bullets on the screen at once; enough to cover a good fraction of the screen. It is NOT a catch-all term for the shoot-em-up genre, nor does it mean just any NintendoHard shmup. * ButtMonkey means simply a character who suffers disproportionately, and nothing more. This is an {{inversion}} of Square Peg Round Trope where people ''refuse'' to use it even when it fits, because they mistakenly believe that it is required to be PlayedForLaughs. There is a type of ButtMonkey that is required to be PlayedForLaughs--but that trope is TheChewToy.* ButNotTooBlack: Posters tend to use the trope page merely to list all the light-skinned people in Hollywood rather than make any attempt to relate their appearance to a particular work or storyline. Some attempt should be made to explain why skin, hair, features, behavior, etc are relevant in a given situation. And some features can be subjective.* A CallBack brings back an element from an earlier event in a series that is actually relevant again for the plot. Not only is it confused with ContinuityNod (when the reference has no impact on the plot) but is often used when a scenario or a situation is mildly similar to another even when there's no connection between them.* CarpetOfVirility refers to a [[RatedMForManly very manly]] character with a "carpet" of chest hair. It has nothing to do with actual carpets.* CharacterDerailment is about characters who change throughout the show or story [[ThePlotDemandedThisIndex without rhyme or reason]]. Some of the examples on the page are just minor examples of {{Flanderization}} (which is similar to Character Derailment but [[TropesAreNotBad less insulting]]). There were even a few examples that ''did'' have logical explanation to [[CharacterDevelopment character change]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext within the context of the story]].** The Character Derailment page has also been used for [[TheScrappy character bashing]] even though there is an obvious difference between the two.** Character Derailment is not for characters from an original material who have a different personality in an adaptation or in a different continuity.** Character Derailment is not the inversion of RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap.* {{Chickification}} refers to when an ActionGirl becomes a DistressedDamsel ''with no in-universe explanation''.** The same goes for its inversion, {{Xenafication}}.* A CloudCuckoolander is not just any insane character, but one who is harmless and lovable.* CompletelyMissingThePoint is frequently listed as a trope as a TakeThat against anything, instead of the in-character use. Eventually the misuse forced the trope to be renamed to ComicallyMissingThePoint, but even then some misuse persists.* CompleteMonster is misused a lot as "villain I really hate" or "any villain who crosses the MoralEventHorizon". It's a trope with ''very'' strictly defined criteria: "The most heinous characters played seriously with no redeeming or altruistic qualities." The operative word in there is '''Complete''' Monster, not "Mostly Monstrous", which would fit almost every villain. Groups cannot qualify by definition, nor can something which can't help its nature or actions. There should also be continuity in their portrayal, as the villain must be consistently characterized as pure evil. It sometimes but doesn't always overlap with YouMonster, while IAmAMonster would usually be a ''rejection'' of Complete Monsterdom. Efforts are still underway to make it an objective trope in the long run.* ConspicuousCG refers to when "a Computer-Generated image stands out considerably compared to that of the traditional animation style". However, a lot of people seem to misuse it as "bad-looking CG", when in fact that's a type of SpecialEffectsFailure.* ConvenientMiscarriage does not cover just any miscarriage. It is a situation where the characters do not want a baby and/or adding one to the cast would alter the plot. A miscarriage that is convenient to neither the plot nor the characters is likely a DoubleSubversion of the LawOfInverseFertility.* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot is when a situation is caused by a person that didn't asked for help from the others. It is not necessarily a case where "Scenario X from Show Y could have been avoided if the main character didn't do a certain action that causes the events in the first place".* A CrapsaccharineWorld is a world which appears bright and cheerful or some kind of utopia on the surface, but holds a very dark secret that makes it almost as bad as a true CrapsackWorld, or depending on your interpretation, just as bad if not worse. Essentially a BitchInSheepsClothing or a StepfordSmiler as the setting. It's not simply a world with positive elements are contrasted with serious problems and harsh reality. That's AWorldHalfFull. However, a CrapsaccharineWorld can become AWorldHalfFull, and from there usually evolves into a SugarBowl.* CrazyAwesome, we hardly knew ye. You have been besieged by people who only know crazy as a superlative adverb rather than a descriptive adjective. The trope is for characters who are mentally unbalanced (in a good way) and this imbalance is the primary part of his/her effectiveness. It's not just for random characters who do stuff that's really, ''really'', awesome.* CreatorsPet (formerly The Wesley) is ironically a case of a trope that's gotten ''more'' misuse after a general rename. Now people will use it for characters that the author simply admits is their favorite (which is covered by CreatorsFavorite), or they'll use it when they feel the narrative is favoring one character too much (which is more along the lines of a MarySue, itself a notoriously misused trope). The original definition still applies. It's only about characters that are widely hated by the fanbase, but adored by the creators.* CriticalDissonance is for works where the ''consensus'' between critics and audiences differs. It is not about works that were critically acclaimed but sold poorly (those would fall under AcclaimedFlop), nor is it for works that were critically trashed but sold very well (those would fall under CriticProof).* A couple of CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming entries were deleted not because they weren't crowning or [[EmotionalTorque emotional]], but because those were TearJerker moments. Heartwarming can make you cry, but crying isn't necessarily heartwarming. The same thing is happening in TearJerker.* CrowningMusicOfAwesome quickly changed from "music that makes a scene especially awesome" to "Tropers' music recommendations." Also, even though the word "crowning" is defined as "representing a level of the highest possible achievement or attainment," it's often blatantly used to say "This series has good music," instead of being applied to a specific piece.** Similarly, CrowningMomentOfFunny now seems to mean "anything that someone at some point found vaguely amusing."** And of course, CrowningMomentOfAwesome used to be about a SINGLE best moment for a show or character, now people just add any little thing they liked, no matter how insignificant. Sure, what moment qualifies as the best is subjective, but a lot of people don't even try to find a single qualifying moment ("The whole thing is a CMOA!").* DanBrowned is not "didn't do the research, but only an expert in the field would know." It's "The work is presented as accurate and[=/=]or factual, but is riddled with errors." It gets constant maintenance to keep it from becoming "They got this esoteric fact, that only an expert in the field would notice, wrong."** Also, CriticalResearchFailure is getting this treatment. That trope is about things that any non-expert would know is wrong. Instead, people will pot hole any obscure fact that only someone in the field would know to this.* DarkAgeOfSupernames is about superhero names that are dark, edgy, and sometimes [[XtremeKoolLetterz misspelled]]; such as Bloodwulf or Deathblow. Several examples don't sound dark and edgy, just intentionally misspelled; like Bugg or Gloo.* DeaderThanDisco isn't for works that are just no longer popular. It's for works that are also ''looked down on'' in some way and, consequentially, have very little chance of ever making a comeback.* DeathGlare is not supposed to be a scary, dangerous glare or a face a character makes before or while going on a rampage. It is a glare a character delivers to make a DeadpanSnarker shut up, similar to a BeQuietNudge or a ShutUpKiss.* DeathIsCheap does not refer to any one character coming BackFromTheDead. It means that it's common to do so.* {{Deconstruction}} refers to a work that takes an established genre and adds a layer of realism by establishing why associated tropes are used and how they would affect the real world. It is not DarkerAndEdgier applied to an entire genre. [[NotADeconstruction We have a whole page on that topic.]] * DeusExMachina is an unrealistic or out-of-place plot device which shows up out of nowhere to resolve the plot. It is not a PretentiousLatinMotto meaning "plot points I think are stupid." Of course, the terms gets thrown around a lot in this manner outside the wiki too, making its misuse TruthInTelevision.* DeusSexMachina is not any sex that's a plot point. It's an ability or item that only works if someone has sex.* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything is about a rare game instance that can happen which the developers acknowledge and put special content in for that matter, like a special trick or sequence break. If it is something that happens often or the developers set the player up for that instance, it's not an example of this trope.* DisappearedDad and MissingMom are mostly used to parents whose absence lacks an InUniverse explanation. They are supposed to cover ''any'' absent or deceased parents.* DisappointingLastLevel in a video game means a drop in quality and a rushed-in-development feel in the last parts of the game. An [[DifficultySpike increase]] [[ThatOneBoss in]] [[ThatOneLevel difficulty]] by itself is NOT an example of this trope; such a difficulty spike needs to feel out of nowhere and lazily implemented for it to qualify.* {{Disneyesque}} refers to a work that adopts an art style used in {{Disney}}'s animated works (usually for homage or parody purposes), similar to how {{Animesque}} is about a non-Japanese work adopting an anime/manga style. It is not about something that [[FollowTheLeader Follows the Leader]] to the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon (i.e. ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' or ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina}}''), borrows Disney's fairy dust trademark or uses DisneyCreaturesOfTheFarce.* DontExplainTheJoke. In regards to in-universe examples, the trope is almost always used properly. In {{Pot Hole}}s, people tend to mistake "Explaining the scene or the character in question for people who aren't familiar with the series" as "explaining a joke".* Some links to "Do Not Want" are people saying that they "do not want" something to happen. The article is actually about humorous bootleg subtitles. This resulted [[TranslationTrainWreck in a rename to end the confusion.]]* DoubleStandard Rape: ([[DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale M/M]], [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale F/M]], [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnFemale F/F]], [[DoubleStandardRapeSciFi Sci-Fi]]) If it's not portrayed as "okay" or "funny" in the work, it's not an example. And if other kinds of rape are also portrayed the same way, it's not an example because these tropes are about double standards; then it's just RomanticizedAbuse or BlackComedyRape in general.* DownToTheLastPlay refers to any sporting event which is decided in dramatic fashion at the very last minute. Though it does not matter which team wins, many assume it to mean that the protagonist team always has to win. If the protagonist team doesn't win, tropers will label it as a subversion or an aversion. A true subversion would be a game that ends anticlimactically. A true inversion would be a game decided on the very ''first'' play.* TheDragon trope was used incorrectly so many times that its definition had to be changed. It originally referred to a minion of the BigBad who was stronger than the BigBad, representing more of a physical challenge to the protagonist while the BigBad represented a mental one. Too many tropers took this to mean "the BigBad's right-hand man, regardless of whether he/she is actually stronger than the BigBad."[[/folder]]

[[folder:E-K]]* An EggMacGuffin is an egg used a PlotDevice. It may or may not be an actual MacGuffin.* EpicFail is about when a character fails much harder than you would expect, and the work plays it for laughs. Sometimes people seem to think that a work/person/moment/etc. can be an epic fail as an excuse to complain.* EnsembleDarkHorse is supposed to refer to when a ''minor'' character who does little in the story becomes unexpectedly popular with the fans. It isn't supposed to mean "any character besides the main character who is popular."* EvenBetterSequel is a sequel to a game or movie ''that was already good'', but manages to be better. Not just every sequel that just so happens to be better than the last one, good or otherwise. Sequels that are unexpectedly better than ''actually mediocre'' predecessors has its own trope as well; SurprisinglyImprovedSequel.* EvenEvilHasStandards: Tropers have a tendency to shoehorn this. For the record, the trope only applies when an otherwise-remorseless villain is given a redeeming trait by refusing to do something particularely evil ''because'' it is too evil. EEHS has been applied to characters who aren't really evil (try EveryoneHasStandards), a standard that they only have for pragmatic reasons (PragmaticVillainy), or a standard that is too ridiculous to be sympathetic (ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne).* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin is about titles that are humorously specific, and tell you everything you need to know about the plot just by reading it. A lot of people use it for any title that's not a total non sequitur or a substitute for SelfExplanatory.* An ExcusePlot is a plot that is clearly there merely as a justification for the gameplay, or other form of flashy, show-offy-ness, to happen. It does not necessarily mean a poorly written, minimalistic, or stupid storyline. Furthermore, this can only apply to VideoGame storylines, but some tropers seem to love to put it as examples [[Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike to movies and shows they don't like]] (you're probably looking for ClicheStorm in those cases anyway).* An {{Expy}} is a character who's a blatant copy of another character with, eventually, few minor differences. Just because a character shares some similarities with another doesn't make him an Expy.* {{Facepalm}} is when someone literally facepalms. Not [[DarthWiki/WallBanger something facepalm worthy]], or [[Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike the entire show is facepalm worthy]].* FanDisservice is when a show intentionally does something gross to invoke {{Squick}}. It's not the same as a show failing at FanService, that's FetishRetardant. It also gets used for plain old body {{Squick}}. And for anything the creators do that the fans don't like. And male nudity, because apparently people attracted to men don't exist. Fan Disservice, in this case, is about people looking unappealing; it should not be shoehorned in to complain about the addition/removal of characters, scenes that look different from what they expected, or others. The latter is basically the inverse of PanderingToTheBase, which is due to TV Tropes' definition of "Fanservice" having a more narrow meaning than it's often used as. * FanDumb has to do with certain types (see the list on the trope page) of illogical fan behaviors, specifically those that have to do with being overly defensive of the work or their opinions about it (such as in shipping); HateDumb is its equivalent for people who bash a particular work. Way too many people have been using it pretty much every time someone defends a work they don't like, or complains about a work they like, even if their comments are reasonable. Please delete any examples of this misuse that you see, as we don't need [[FlameWar Flame Wars]] here.* {{Fan Hater}}s hate the ''fans''. It's not the same as hating the series the fans are attached too, which is {{Hatedom}}.* FanonDiscontinuity is supposed to refer to cases when a sequel or episode just screws up our mental image of the plot, so the fandom collectively decides to ignore its existence. Of course, in {{Pot Hole}}s, it is used as another TakeThat against anything you don't particularly like, including entire verses.* FanPreferredCouple does not mean "liked more than the OfficialCouple by upwards of fully THREE people and also we have a forum." It means a pairing that, judging by its apparent degree of canon validation, is more popular than it should be. It's also important to note the trope applies to ''non-canon couples only''. An OfficialCouple that happens to be popular with fans doesn't count as an example.* FantasticRacism means racism between humans and mythical/fictional creatures, or between said creatures and other fictional creatures. It is ''not'' an adverb describing how powerful one's racism is.* FauxActionGirl refers to characters famed as [[ActionGirl Action Girls]] in-universe, but in practice the "Action" part is just an InformedAttribute. It's quickly becoming "Any female character who so much as loses one fight, or ever gets captured." (even if they curb-stomp everyone the rest of the time)* FauxlosophicNarration is for philosophic content that ''has little to do with the plot'' of the work in question. It doesn't mean philosophical content in general that you don't like.* A FemmeFatale is a woman whom the hero can't resist even though getting involved with her means certain danger, especially if she intentionally uses her beauty to overcome the hero's better judgement. It doesn't mean "sexualized female villain". Likewise, not every Asian villainess is a DragonLady, and not every eastern-European villainess is TheBaroness or a {{Sensual Slav|s}}.* TheFireflyEffect is about viewers being afraid to commit themselves to a show because they are afraid of it being canceled, even if it's popular like ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' was. Tropers often use it to complain about a show they like being ScrewedByTheNetwork.* The FiveManBand is a common template for a team and the cast, but it does not necessarily mean that any and every team will fit into that precise mold. It is ''intended'' to be a loose pattern. This page also has two internal problems:** Contrary to what many seem to think, a FiveManBand does not just refer to any quintet.** People - and not just new tropers - tend to shove any female character into the role of 'The Chick' without actually considering what the character is like and what her role is in the group. People seem to think 'TheChick' just means 'any random woman, even if she's clearly TheLancer or whatever.' It's also not possible for a ''male'' character to fit this role (if they fill this role, they are TheHeart and it's just TheTeam).** FiveBadBand came upon this a little too. Some examples would be a QuirkyMinibossSquad, not realizing that major character tropes like BigBad and TheDragon existed ''long'' before we created the trope.** Similarly, any group with enough people in it will invariably draw attempts to shoehorn them into the SevenDeadlySins.* {{Flanderization}} was originally a fairly specific phenomenon, referring to when a previously complex character would eventually come to be defined by one or two specific quirks. However, over time, it decayed into "character generally became broader/wackier", and from there, it further decayed into "any broad/wacky character", even if they were that way to begin with. At this point, the trope has become so vague that people now say that the trope ''[[{{Irony}} itself]]'' has been Flanderized. Now it is apparently possible to be Flanderized in the very same episode you first appear in. On the Flanderization page there was a list of '''Tropes''' that have been Flanderized, which almost rivaled the normal examples in length.* FlatWhat is exactly what it looks like. Specifically, it's for ''in-universe'' reactions along that line. Most potholes to it are by way of a word or phrase that is neither flat nor a "what", because editors assume the trope is about being confused in general and either refuse to accept or fail to understand that [[Administrivia/ConversationInTheMainPage their reaction to something isn't necessary for the example to work]]. On the rare occasion it ''is'' actually potholed to the word "what", it tends to be [[BigWhat all-caps, italicized and/or bolded, with multiple question marks and/or exclamation points behind it instead of a period, or some combination of the above]].* FountainOfMemes is for ''characters'' that spawn lot of memes but it's often used for works that spawn many memes or just one popular meme.* FridgeLogic is specifically about a PlotHole that catches your attention as well as all those nagging questions that have had you scratching your head long after you watched the movie or read the book. But likely it was just a minor thing and it doesn't really destroy your enjoyment of it. The page became a location for Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike and a place to vent. ''It Just Bugs Me'' was meant to curb the examples, but a decision was made to scrap ''all'' the examples and just refer people to ''It Just Bugs Me''.** Naturally, ''It Just Bugs Me'' has also become something of a repository for Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike and AccentuateTheNegative. Sometimes they get purged by the WikiMagic, sometimes not. Eventually, the problem was so great that the name was changed to {{Headscratchers}}.** For that matter, FridgeBrilliance isn't "My favorite show is awesome and makes no mistakes". All series have {{Plot Hole}}s and issues, even if insignificant, and trying to deny it with an "ICanExplain" won't change this. That'll just lead to FanDumb.** A lot of people also don't understand the line between FridgeBrilliance and WildMassGuessing.** FridgeHorror is when something gets scarier due to retrospect. The same situation, but scarier. Some have just used it for immediate scary implications, which is relatively acceptable as far as square pegs go, but others have used it for imagining an altered version of the plot that's scarier than before.* FunnyAneurysmMoment is "a scene, joke, or offhand line that was originally meant to be funny or light-hearted but which, due to traumatic events in future episodes of a show or in real life, now makes the viewer cringe when it is seen in reruns." The two events have to be very similar to count (for example, the page picture of a cartoon drawn in 1993 of a plane hitting the WTC). There are a lot of entries where the original line is simply a reference to an actor who later died. Unless the line at least somewhat predicts the circumstances of the actor's death, it's not an example. Otherwise every single reference to a famous person would eventually count. Still more examples list two events that are very tenuously connected, if at all.* GainaxEnding is when a work ends on a deliberately incomprehensible note, but often gets confused with LeftHanging and/or TwistEnding.* The {{Garfunkel}} is supposed to be the band member whose presence is really superfluous to the sound of the group. However, a lot of the examples seem to be "the band member that nobody recognises", even if they have important roles (bassists and drummers especially fall victim to this). This isn't helped by the trope being named after someone who gets judged as this by popular culture, but who in truth was not (Art's voice was an indispensable part of the SimonAndGarfunkel sound). We eventually renamed it to LesserStar.* In some GenderBlendingTropes, such as UnsettlingGenderReveal, people will refer to instances of women dressed as men (or anything along those lines) as inversions of the trope, presuming (due to the FirstLawOfGenderBending) that men dressed as women is the default in such situations, even when the actual trope definition is neutral on the subject.** In the case of UnsettlingGenderReveal, many tropers assume that it's specifically about seemingly male characters turning out to be female. The confusion is likely due to the fact that the trope used to be called Dropped A Bridget On Him.* For the most part, GenreSavvy is pretty self-explanatory. However, some people use it to note when a character makes a good decision in general, as opposed to making a good decision based on genre conventions. "The character didn't stick his hand in the fire," for example, is not being genre savvy.* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff refers to a character (or a work as a whole) who is significantly more popular in a certain part of the world than in his/her country of origin. For some reason, the page gets several entries detailing the ''[[AmericansHateTingle opposite]]'' phenomenon.** Perhaps even stranger, the AmericansHateTingle page has examples of things that are hated in their home country without any indication of how people feel about it in other countries.* A lot of GettingCrapPastTheRadar examples are {{Double Entendre}}s and have more in relation to AccidentalInnuendo. Others meanwhile boil down to HehHehYouSaidX, {{ParentalBonus}}es alluding to adult material but not objectionable in and of themselves, people assuming the radar is looking for something it actually "cleared to land" (especially with {{Disney}}-made works), thinking there is a radar to get around for works which lack one or proving FreudWasRight and seeing, reading or hearing something that was never intended to get around the radar.** Also, many tropers seem to forget that in order for something to qualify as GettingCrapPastTheRadar, it has to actually get past the radar.* TheGhost refers to a character who is mentioned but never seen, and not to an actual ghost.* A GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere is a {{boss|Battle}} who comes out of nowhere ''and'' is completely [[WackyWaysideTribe irrelevant to the plot]]. A lot of tropers will call ''any'' boss that comes out of nowhere a Space Flea even if they ''are'' plot-relevant.* Some entries make it seem like every amusing cut is a GilliganCut. GilliganCut has a very specific definition (character refusing to do something, and then shown doing it anyway) but is somewhat frequently misused on work pages and in potholes for DescriptionCut (which involves a person describing something and then it being shown to be false/misleading) and IronicEchoCut (which involves two people saying almost the same thing back-to-back).* ''Film/TheGodsMustBeCrazy'' isn't even a trope, yet it is occasionally used as one. We ''do'' have {{t|heGodsMustBeLazy}}wo {{t|heGuardsMustBeCrazy}}ropes that are [[JustForPun puns]] based on it, but ''The Gods Must Be Crazy'' itself is a movie. You might be thinking of MadGod.* GreyAndGreyMorality is when both sides of the conflict are neither good or bad. Just because a hero has [[AntiHero some flaws]] and the villain has some [[AntiVillain redeeming qualities]] doesn't mean the setting is Grey and Grey in terms of morality.* GuideDangIt now gets used for any puzzle that's the least bit difficult, not just ones that aren't possible to solve without a strategy guide or walkthrough. A true GuideDangIt situation would be one where you look up the solution and, after doing it and analyzing it, proceed to exclaim "HOW THE FUCKING HELL ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO KNOW TO DO THAT?" If the clues are there and you just missed them or misinterpreted them, it's not an example.* GuiltyPleasure means liking something yet feeling guilt or embarassment for liking it, because it's considered outside the mainstream, it's lowbrow, or because the one who likes it is out of the demographic. The definition got twisted to slightly above SoBadItsGood (when many of the examples on that page are interchangeable), and ultimately to Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike but more specific. Almost every example was not an actual example, and people used it as a page to complain about things they thought were SoBadItsGood, even if what they were complaining about was critically acclaimed, or just animated shows and kid's shows in general. It got so bad and opinionated that the page was regulated to in-universe examples.* A HandWave is an explanation that is too flimsy to hold up under scrutiny, not any brief explanation and most definitely ''not'' "explanations that don't appeal to you".* HarderThanHard refers to when a game has a hard difficulty followed by at least one difficulty above it. (For example: Difficulty levels with the labels Normal, Hard, and ''Very Hard''.) It does not simply mean a hard mode that's much harder than the normal mode, or an extreme case of a NintendoHard game. Similar case with EasierThanEasy.* HeReallyCanAct: Was meant to be used when an actor who normally isn't taken too seriously ends up putting out a stand out performance. It seems to be in danger of becoming used for any good acting, or when an actor who ''is'' taken seriously does a ''slightly'' better acting job than they normally do.* HeroKiller seems to be falling into this, being used as a blanket term for any character that has managed to kill a hero, regardless of how major a role they had. One of the key elements of the HeroKiller is that he is so effective and so dangerous that even the protagonists are terrified of him; someone who appeared for one episode, had a fairly even-sided battle with the protagonists, and managed to take down a hero before being killed in the climax is not a HeroKiller.* HeyItsThatGuy is when an often-used character actor appears in a supporting role (the whole point is that you know the actor's face, but NOT the name -- he's "that guy!") but it's often used for big actors as well.* HeyItsThatVoice is meant to be used for when a voice actor uses the same voice for characters from different series. Instead, it's often used to note that two characters have the same voice actor, even if they don't sound similar.* A HiddenElfVillage is a village that refuses to participate in external conflicts. It may or may not be populated by elves.* HopeSpot is not "things are gloom but there's a window of hope", but a subversion of that exact concept, the characters' hopes are dashed when the window gets smashed.* "Hot Mom" and "Hot Dad" were supposed to refer to moms and dads who the other characters find attractive. Tropers used them to mean "character I think is hot who happens to be a parent". Both are now no longer tropes but disambiguation pages.* HoYay is about homosexual ''subtext'', not "gay moment". At one point, even ''Film/BrokebackMountain'' was stated to have it, which was wrong because the male characters are explicitly attracted to each other. It's also now used for any two guys or girls who are best friends at all. ShippingGoggles are certainly to blame. This is probably why HomoeroticSubtext was created to cover actual subtext, requiring either WordOfGod or LampshadeHanging to qualify and prevent shoehorning.* HumansAreTheRealMonsters (once "Humans Are Bastards") is supposed to be about how humans are complete jerks and worse '''compared to other sentient species'''. Humans being horrible people in general does not count as this trope.* A HurtingHero is a troubled protagonist, and not necessarily one who is in constant physical pain.* HypnoTrinket is about any {{Brainwashing}} item that looks like an everyday wearable thing (clothing, jewelry, etc.). Anything worn or slapped on the skin, yet looks obviously like a MindControlDevice, is just that trope [[TheSameButMoreSpecific but wearable]].* This is why ''IAmNotMakingThisUp'' no longer exists on this wiki, what with everyone potholing anything vaguely weird into it. NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer is being misused in the same vein, albeit on a much smaller scale.* IAmNotShazam is when people incorrectly assume a work has a CharacterTitle and call the main character by the title even if they have a completely different name. Tropers often assume the trope is about ''any'' character who is known by an incorrect name regardless of whether or not the false name is the work title or not.* IAmTheNoun is when a character refers himself as the sole representative of a group or abstract concept ("I am the Night", "I am the Law", "I am the Nation", etc) not when a character refers his title or function ("I am the King","I am the guardian", etc).* An InnocuouslyImportantEpisode is an episode that subtly sets events in motion that lead to a big payoff later in a way that the audience won't realize the importance of the episode until late in the series. But it's often used to describe light-hearted episodes that surprisingly ends with a big reveal or a major events even when said reveal and event has no relation with the rest of the episode.* InsaneTrollLogic is for logic that is incredibly demented to the point where it makes no sense at all. Too many people try to cram [[LogicalFallacies flawed logic]] into the trope as opposed to the nonsensical logic that it is supposed to reflect.* IThoughtItMeant is for when a trope or work may sincerely be mistaken for a similarly-named trope or work. Too often, an editor comes to believe that ''every'' work page ''must'' have a pothole to the trope somewhere and will refer to another work or a trope that has absolutely nothing at all to do with the page in question.* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY is an in-universe trope where a character insists on a "fancier" pronunciation of a word or name. Many tropers confuse it with NoPronunciationGuide or misuse it as a generic pothole for pointing out how to pronounce something.* "ItsBeenDone" was formerly known as "The Simpsons Did It" as a reference to ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. When ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' did a trope, someone would say "The Simpsons Did It" to say that it was used on the show. In reality, they would be saying that ''The Simpsons'' '''invented''' the trope.* The ItSucks pages are for reactions by the general audience and critics. They are ''not'' pages for Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike.* ItWasHisSled is supposed to be for plot twists that were once secrets, but are now known by ''everybody'' because of the way they've permeated through popular culture. It's fast descending into "any twist that a ''[[FanMyopia particular]]'' fandom/market/niche knows about", or worse, "''any'' twist", hence the ExampleSectionectomy. A more indirect example/result of misuse is that, when writing about twists that don't really fall under this trope but are still considered examples by myopic fans, tropers often neglect to use spoiler tags on pages that don't have a "spoilers off" policy (i.e. trope pages where the mere presence of a work on them can indirectly spoil the twist). Because of this, tropers who plan to read/watch/play a certain work without spoiling anything beforehand can be reading a non-"spoilers off" page and inadvertently come across twists devoid of spoiler tags simply because the person who added the example assumed that it was already widely known. Also, this isn't the trope for twists that people see coming from a mile away; that goes under CaptainObviousReveal.* Jean Grey Escalation was a trope meaning when one event in a story involving a character becomes the only thing fans (or even writers) remember, and act as if its their only defining characteristic. This was, of course, named after Jean Grey of the X-Men, who, until recently, had become all powerful ''once'', turned evil ''once'', died ''once'', and came back ''once'', but people always made jokes about how she's ''always'' dying and coming back, despite other characters, including Magneto and Xavier, dying and coming back far more often than Jean, and that NEARLY EVERY major comic character has come BackFromTheDead. However, people kept adding the trope thinking it ''[[{{Irony}} meant]]'' always dying and coming back. Because of that, it was renamed to a much more fitting and much less confusing name NeverLiveItDown.* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk is often misused as simply "[[JerkAss a character who is/acts like a jerk]]". The trope, however, is actually about moments where characters who usually act like jerks seem to have a change of heart and do something good, until it is later discovered that they had selfish and unpleasant reasons for doing so.* {{Jossed}} is meant to be for cases in which a fan's theory is disproved by later developments in the story or by WordOfGod, but it sometimes gets used on WildMassGuessing pages for cases in which a fan theory is just unlikely to be true, but not entirely disproven. If someone has to later come along and add a note saying that the guess was "un-Jossed", most likely it was never really Jossed in the first place (barring LyingCreator or FlipFlopOfGod).** In a reversal, WordOfGod is supposed to be official statements from the creators of a series, but in a few cases it's used as, basically, "my fan theory is true regardless of my actual knowledge of the series, just because".* KatanasAreJustBetter requires to show that a katana wielder is better than other melee and ranged weapons. Just wielding a katana doesn't qualify for this trope.* KickTheDog refers to any gratuitously evil act used to clearly show the character as a bad guy, including but not limited to literally kicking a dog. People often miss the "gratuitous" part: it's a ''pointless'' act of cruelty, not something done in advancement of a clear goal. It's also becoming increasingly shoehorned for whenever a character does something even slightly mean.* KickTheSonOfABitch is often used when a character does something bad to an evil character, either for revenge, heroism or some other personal issues -- but that's not what it's supposed to mean. What they should be using instead is PayEvilUntoEvil. KickTheSonOfABitch is only applicable when a character does something mean to an evil character without KNOWING of their evil ways. This is so common, in fact, that the trope's very page explains the difference between the two, but people still can't seem to get it right.* KidAppealCharacter is supposed to be a character in a larger cast specifically designed to appeal to children; it often just gets used for any child character at all (or even just any character who is younger than the rest of the cast), no matter how they're characterized or marketed, or even if there are adult characters that kids like better.* Thanks to MemeticMutation, KillItWithFire is now used as a PotHole for what is technically BrainBleach. The Kill It With Fire trope is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin; things that are associated with the Memetic Mutation version of it are Brain Bleach.* KilledOffForReal was being misused for any CharacterDeath, its missing supertrope. It's only in play when characters can reasonably be assumed to be dead, they can reasonably be expected to return, and they don't return. Applicable to settings where "Killed Off For Fake" (DisneyDeath or BackFromTheDead) is present, it's mutually exclusive with AllDeathsFinal.\\** Sometimes it also gets misused when a setting has both a real world, and a not-so-real world such as a simulation, and characters are killed in the real world. This still doesn't qualify, because while characters might be expected to come back to life if killed in a simulation, there's no expectation that they'd return when killed in reality.* KillEmAll keeps getting mistaken for characters literally "killing them all". It's actually an EndingTrope where virtually every major character in the story ends up dying. The "Kill 'Em All" is on the part of the ''writers'', not (necessarily) the characters. The in-story tactic of killing everyone is covered by tropes like LeaveNoSurvivors, ThePurge, FinalSolution, and MurderIsTheBestSolution.[[/folder]]

[[folder:L-P]]* A LampshadeHanging was originally supposed to mean when a trope is pointed out in an attempt to hide or excuse it (i.e. please don't look at this trope). Instead, this has come to mean, "Any trope that is acknowledged or pointed out by one or more characters as it's occurring, in any manner or context whatsoever."* The distinction between LargeHam, ChewingTheScenery and NoIndoorVoice seems to be blurred.[[note]]Quick rundown: LargeHam = overacts all the time. ChewingTheScenery = overacts in a single instance. NoIndoorVoice = talks unnecessarily loudly.[[/note]] In addition, apparently there is little middle ground between LargeHam and DullSurprise.* LateArrivalSpoiler, formerly titled "You Should Know This Already," is usually still potholed and linked as such to facilitate expressions of FanMyopia. It's supposed to refer to promotional materials for a franchise which spoil prior plot developments, assuming fans are already familiar with them. However, it's often used by tropers to mean "I just spoiled something, but it's your fault for not having already seen the movie/show."* A LethalJokeCharacter is one that appears to be a JokeCharacter, but has hidden potential that can make them dangerous after all. It's not any character that happens to look, act or generally come across as quirky or weird, but is clearly in line with other characters in terms of gameplay. That's FightingClown. One cleaning of the page almost had to cut half of the content.* LetsGetDangerous is supposed to be "a moment in the story when all the quirky, eccentric supporting cast stop being quirky and eccentric and start demonstrating why you should respect your elders." For some reason, people keep confusing this with CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass. The fact that the TropeNamer is the show's main character, and a CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass himself, probably lends to some of the confusion.* A LightningBruiser is a character that is fast, strong, and tough. The first two traits alone aren't enough to qualify.* LiteraryAgentHypothesis, this is possibly the most incorrectly understood trope on the whole wiki - so misunderstood has it been that almost every single link to it on TV Tropes is incorrect, as well as half its own list (previously the ENTIRE LIST was incorrect but it was partly fixed). Has spawned at least two other tropes in order to deal with the chaos its description caused - DirectLineToTheAuthor and ATrueStoryInMyUniverse. The same thing has started to happen to both of these.* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters is about having a large number of ''main'' characters, but the examples are slipping towards anything that isn't a MinimalistCast.* LouisCypher is about when the villain of a work is revealed to be Satan in disguise, but it's sometimes used for any case where the villain is {{Satan}}. More rarely, it's used to refer to any [[PaperThinDisguise incrediby obvious alius.]]* A MacGuffin is an ''interchangeable'' PlotDevice. The key trait of a MacGuffin is that it can be anything, and whatever qualities it has are irrelevant to the story. Lots of people ignore that specification and include any item that drives the story, or even items people happen to fight over, when fighting over something ''has nothing to do with the definition''. If the PlotDevice could not be replaced with some other item without altering the plot, then it isn't a MacGuffin. This is an especially confusing one, as some tropes with "MacGuffin" in the title do not refer to actual {{MacGuffin}}s.* MagnificentBastard. Doesn't help that the definition was so vague in the first place; however, efforts to nail down a concrete definition have done little to stem the flood. (It also doesn't help that the TropeNamer, Erwin Rommel, is actually a WorthyOpponent.)* Who is MarySue? For a mainly FanFiction trope, she's piled up a great number of dubious {{Canon}} examples. See CanonSue, which is another mess.** Both on TvTropes and across the Internet, the term Mary Sue is often incorrectly used to refer to any OC in fanfiction who has a prominent role, is stereotypically feminine, or just has positive character traits. While many true Mary Sues have these traits, a character only qualifies as a Mary Sue if they greatly overshadow the canon characters with how they're portrayed.* MemeticSexGod is about examples from memes. If it happens in canon, they're a SexGod.* MiniDressOfPower is about an ActionGirl whose outfit is a mini dress. It does not mean "well she does action stuff ''occasionally''", or worse, just a mini dress being worn (as that would be Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs).* {{Mooks}} are evil henchmen that have little to no backstory and exist only so that TheHero can kill hordes of them and look like a {{badass}} while doing it. It is not just a generic term for "minion".* The MoralEventHorizon is meant to be a point where a character is established as so depraved, monstrous, and evil that there is absolutely no believable way to redeem them. However, it tends to get used as "someone acts like a jerk". Also, many examples have more than one MEH per character, which is impossible. Lastly, there's a tendency to mistake it with a character being a CompleteMonster, but a character can cross this line without achieving that status.* MoreThanMindControl is often misused as "MindControl and then some more MindControl" or "simple MindControl but more awesome". If anything, it's the opposite of the former; manipulating somebody's heart ''without'' having to use mind control.* TheMovie is "a heavily expanded, one-shot episode of a TV series usually meant for theatrical distribution". However, people commonly mistake it for "any film adaptation" when other tropes like TheFilmOfTheBook would in fact apply. It's also often applied in attempts to justify a Administrivia/ZeroContextExample with the format "Trope: The Movie".* MrFanservice is supposed to be about one (or a few) hot male character who provides fanservice for the straight/bi female (and gay/bi male) audience. The examples consist mostly of "here is a list of several dozen characters from show X that I found hot, including a crippled 60-year-old that nobody but me would find attractive."** Its GenderFlip, MsFanservice, is misused in the same way.* MurderByMistake is when a character plots a murder, but kills someone other than the intended victim. If the killer had no murderous intent, it's AccidentalMurder.* {{Narm}} has gotten overloaded with lots of "unintentional funny" when the original purpose of the trope was things that were supposed to be ''serious'' that ended up being funny. This is even a case where the TropeNamer is actually a great example of the trope, and not just a clever-sounding name.** It's also not all that uncommon to find Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike on the Narm page, or alternatively "Complaining about scenes I didn't quite buy." These are not actual examples and should naturally be deleted on sight.** A good chunk of examples are straight up jokes that were deliberately written to be funny, or are examples of intentionally over-the-top comedic acting. In fact, just about any {{Narm}} example from a comedy is probably this.* NarniaTime is not just when two worlds/dimensions (or more) have different time axis(which falls under YearOutsideHourInside or YearInsideHourOutside depending on the point of view). It's wen the scale between the two of them is inconsistent like when children after a few days in the real world return to Narnia either a few hours, days, month, years or centuries later. * {{Nephewism}} covers two things: a well-known character having nieces or nephews rather than children, or a child character living with an uncle and/or an aunt rather than with their parents.* NiceJobFixingItVillain has the word "fixing" for a ''reason''. And no, not being defeated is ''not'' what needs fixing. That's HoistByHisOwnPetard.* NintendoHard is about games that are incredibly, ridiculously hard. Many tropers like to attach the label to any even remotely challenging or frustrating game, even if it isn't anywhere near as difficult as the insanely difficult {{NES}} games that gave the trope its name. Others like to use it to shoehorn examples of ThatOneLevel on the main page.* People tend to confuse NoEnding with LeftHanging, BolivianArmyEnding, GainaxEnding, CliffHanger, SequelHook, and nearly every other ending trope on the wiki except for GrandFinale.** And in the same vein, a CliffHanger does ''not'' constitute a BolivianArmyEnding.** It also doesn't help that being able to make that distinction in some cases depends on knowing the intent of the creators and WordOfGod may not be available.* NoFinalBossForYou is about video games that have a FinalBoss, but for some reason you can't access it. It's sometimes misused with games that don't have final boss at all.* NoFourthWall is about when the characters all know they're fictional and never pretend that they aren't. BreakingTheFourthWall is when a work that usually has a fourth wall breaks it temporarily. People seem to not realize the difference, to the point where there are more examples of BreakingTheFourthWall on the NoFourthWall page than actual examples of NoFourthWall.* NoHuggingNoKissing is meant to be about works that are completely devoid of any romance. It is frequently misused to refer to characters who ''are'' romantically involved but don't show much physical affection onscreen.* NostalgiaFilter explicitly says "No RealLife Examples, Please." And yet, many tropers use similar pages to give "real life" generalizations about this trope, even when the NostalgiaFilter itself has little relevance to the trope at hand.* NotSoDifferent involves some kind of in-story realization or remarks between the characters, beyond viewer analysis. If the similarities are not pointed out, the work is using them as {{Foil}} and usually setting a [[BlackAndGrayMorality grayish]] [[GreyAndGrayMorality morality]].* NukeEm is a trope about using nuclear weapons too eagerly or too much. Lots of examples added there are mostly about "this work has nuclear weapons".* Even so-called OmnipresentTropes can be {{averted|Trope}}. While NoTropeIsTooCommon, no trope occurs in every work.* OneWayVisor means a visor, not lenses. A visor is like a pair of goggles with temple-arms instead of a strap, or the faceplate of a helmet. Doesn't stop people from adding RedHood and SpiderMan* OnlyChildSyndrome does not cover selfish or demanding characters. It refers to a work in which most or all characters are only children, whether they exhibit these characteristics or not.* OurElvesAreBetter gets interpreted in different ways. One is focusing entirely on the "better" part, using it for SuperiorSpecies even if elves aren't involved at all. Another is that the title is literally about elves being portrayed as superior (or at least being smug toward everyone else), leading some tropers to think there is a more neutral Our Elves Are Different article out there somewhere (the ''TabletopGame/BlueRose'' article at one time linked to both OurElvesAreBetter and Our Elves Are Different). Its own Playing With section describes the basic trope as "A race of different elves are superior to most inferior races." All of this ignores that the trope should simply be about there being different kinds of elves in fiction.** The "Our Monsters Are Different" category of tropes is often used to note the presence of a certain monster in a story. The tropes are intended to be used to ''discuss'' how a story portrays a certain creature compared to how other stories portray them.* OverusedRunningGag is when a work itself acknowledges or lampshades how often it uses a particular gag. It does not mean "gag that I'm personally sick of."* PainfulRhyme is when a song or poem tries to rhyme two words that don't rhyme together (Such as "Sneak" and "Bake"), and fails horribly. Most people use it just forced rhymes, whether or not they are words that don't actually rhyme.* Administrivia/PermanentRedLinkClub usually has people adding every article that was ever cut and locked, even though they may come back in the future. It is supposed to be a list of articles that this wiki ''never'' wants to come back.* Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs refers to something so basic that it can't even be called a trope. It does not mean "It's all over the place".* PlatformHell refers to a specific subgenre of games which are specifically designed to punish and frustrate the player as much as possible. Tropers tend to use the phrase to mean "NintendoHard [[Administrivia/TheSameButMore BUT MORE!]]". PlatformHell games are almost exclusively either [[GameMod ROM hacks]] or homebrewed games... it's ''extremely'' rare for an official retail product to truly qualify as one of these.* "The core idea of PoesLaw is that a parody of something extreme can be mistaken for the real thing, and if a real thing sounds extreme enough, it can be mistaken for a parody," as the first few lines of that page explain. However, examples have a tendency to be more about works or personalities that are either extreme or at least reviled in general, without the "mistaken for a parody" part. This usually leads to Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike while ignoring the trope definition.* A PotHole is when a link is [[PotHole hidden in the text]]. Directly displayed links that use [={{brackets}}=] or CamelCase are not {{potholes}}.* PragmaticVillainy is meant for an instance when a character refuses to indulge in an evil act not because [[EvenEvilHasStandards it's too evil]], but because said character knows it's not really to their benefit (wasted resources, PR nightmare, likely to get themselves harmed in the process, not actually possible, etc). It does not necessarily refer to villains who are pragmatic overall (that's closer to NoNonsenseNemesis or occasionally DangerouslyGenreSavvy), nor is it necessarily referring to villains who [[CombatPragmatist fight dirty.]]* PrecisionFStrike, as the description says, only applies to characters who don't swear often, if at all. Maybe-''MAYBE''-if the swear is supposed to obviously be part of the drama of a significant moment. Of course, it gets applied to characters who swear all the time, and to moments that aren't the least bit dramatic. And that's not even getting into the number of pages where any single use of the word "fuck" is {{Pot Hole}}d to this trope.* PutOnABus means that a character is written off in such a way that they could return. It does not necessarily involve a bus.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Q-Z]]* QuirkyHousehold refers to a strange but loving family, and not to a DysfunctionalFamily that is quirky.* RageBreakingPoint is when the anger is held back, but then breaks through. If there is already anger released, it doesn't count. This isn't "rage crescendo".* RatedMForManly refers to, as it says on the Laconic entry, "Any work or character with an emphasis on masculinity--made by men for men--often involving [[{{Badass}} badassery]] taken UpToEleven." Many examples, however, [[Administrivia/ZeroContextExample have little to no explanation for why they are there,]] and more often than not they translate to "I found this work to be the epitome of badassery and awesomeness" with little context to back it up.* RealWomenDontWearDresses has developed many, many problems. It gets potholed incorrectly all the time, despite its straightforward title. Moreover, it's usually accompained by whining and soapboxing about what female characters should and shouldn't be. Most of the (potholed) examples could be summed up as "Complaining About People Not Liking Damsel Scrappies You Like". The trope was originally about feminine clothes/mannerisms/hobbies being considered weak or annoying. Apparently a lot of people think it is about backlash against female characters who '''are''' weak (but not necessarily 'girly').* RecycledInSpace means adding a gimmicky premise to a SequelSeries or self-proclaimed SpiritualSuccessor to make it seem different, rather than just continuing the original series. An example would be ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'' (show about twins living in a hotel) and its SequelSeries ''The Suite Life on Deck'' (show about those same twins on a cruise ship). However, far too many examples are {{complaining}} about DuelingShows, FollowTheLeader, or SerialNumbersFiledOff.** There's also the subset of people who take the trope name literally and use it to refer to any work set in space.*** Or anywhere else, for that matter. If a sentence anywhere says "...in [location]," somebody is going to pothole that with this trope, even when it's not recycled.* RedshirtArmy is specifically for incompetent/easily-killed faceless good guys. It's not for any faceless army that gets easily killed.* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves happens when a traitor is killed or punished by the guy for whom he betrayed (usually a villain but heroic examples exist). It's not when the traitor is killed by the guy he betrayed or when the traitor gets a LaserguidedKarma or a KarmicDeath.* RidiculouslyHumanRobots are human because of features that no programmer would consider practical for a robot, not just because they ''look'' like a human. This makes TinCanRobot ''not'' the polar opposite of this trope.* RomanticPlotTumor has threatened to become a repository for romantic plots that someone doesn't particularly care for - even when the romance story is central to that particular plot, rather than the romance story creeping into and taking over the main plot.* RuleOfThree is one that gets trown around in PotHoles similarly to RecycledInSpace and PrecisionFStrike seemingly just to lampshade how the troper wrote what they wrote. It's meant to be about three being a very common number for things to happen in, especially if written as such. On the site, however, it's usually just potholed whenever anything happens three times, or worse, when somebody writes a joke themselves in three times and then potholes the third one to it. Of course, the worst is when somebody potholes to it for the third instance in a chain ''of more than three'', meaning it isn't really an example anyway.* A SadistShow is one where viewers are ''supposed to enjoy'' the suffering of the characters. The nature of their suffering, be it their own fault or otherwise, doesn't matter, nor does it have to be the entire cast rather than just the main character. It is not simply a show where bad things happen to people, and doesn't count if you're supposed to sympathize with them. And, said suffering has to be the focal point of the show, not simply something that happens pretty often.* SarcasmMode is meant to be about signals that indicate sarcasm (i. e., "sarcasm mode on/sarcasm mode off"), but it's used to refer to any sarcasm. It's also used to pothole sarcasm itself, which is NOT the purpose of the trope.* SarcasticTitle means that [[NeverTrustATitle title-content dissonance]] is played for sarcasm ''to drive a point home''. It's frequently applied to any title that intentionally {{invert|edTrope}}s ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.* ScaryBlackMan is exactly what it sounds like, an intimidating black guy. The definition seems to be relaxed to refer to any minority character or even in some cases characters that just barely qualify for AmbiguouslyBrown, whether they're scary, intimidating, or not.* SchoolgirlLesbians is often used to describe any lesbian relationship, regardless of how seriously the relationship is actually treated, or how old the characters are.* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem is for when someone ''deliberately'' ignores rules, but does ''not'' actually change them. Otherwise it's ForgotICouldChangeTheRules.* {{Scrub}} and StopHavingFunGuy refer to gamers who impolitely impose their ruleset on everyone who plays with them. Poor skill level alone does not equal a Scrub. [[ChallengeGamer High skill level]] and a tendancy to [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome play on tournament settings, however un-"fun" they are to more casual players]] alone do not equal a Stop Having Fun Guy. * SeasonalRot refers to one particular season of a show that is judged in hindsight to be markedly inferior to other seasons. Way too many people are using the term to mean "I don't like the current season." It also does not mean "got less good over time," which is JumpTheShark.* Contrary to what its name may imply, ShesAManInJapan refers to any GenderFlip (male to female or female to male) of any character in any translation of any work. There are no inversions.* ShockingSwerve is a plot twist that not only comes out of nowhere without any foreshadowing, but flat-out ''doesn't make sense'' with regard to earlier plot details. (As in it outright ''contradicts'' something that happened previously). Most of the examples on the page basically boil down to Complaining About Twists You Don't Like. Also, many people think no foreshadowing is the only criteria. The trope you're looking for there is AssPull. It's gotten to the point where the trope page itself says some of the examples don't count.* A ShoutOut has to be intentional on the part of the creators. It is not a coincidental similarity between works. Before you succumb to the urge to write "Looks like a ShoutOut to", consider how likely it is that the creator of Work B is familiar with Work A. In fact, if you don't ''know'' it's a ShoutOut, probably best not to mention it.* A SixthRanger is a late addition to TheTeam of heroes or villains, and is not necessarily the sixth character. However, this trope does commonly overlap with FiveManBand or FiveBadBand, hence the trope name.* SmallNameBigEgo is supposed to describe a relative nobody who has an inexplicably huge ego. Too often, it's used to describe people or characters that simply have a big ego.* A SmugSnake is not just an incompetent wannabe-{{Chessmaster}}. He's a villain ''designed'' to be unsympathetic due to arrogance - he might have a few traits of TheChessmaster in him, but will always be closer to CompleteMonster than MagnificentBastard.* TheSociopath requires a character to have a LackOfEmpathy, be a StrawNihilist, a ConsummateLiar, ManipulativeBastard, need for stimulation, a grandiose sense of self-worth, and a shallow affect. Many examples have people simply saying a character is a sociopath simply for not caring for others peoples' feelings.* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped refers to when a story has an Anvilicious message, but the story actually works better because it's so blatant. Due to the misleading title, it's often used to say "any message I agree with that was done in an Anvilicious manner." Sometimes, even when the message was well-written instead of being Anvilicious.* For something to be [[DarthWiki/SoBadItsHorrible So Bad It's Horrible]], it needs to have been a [[BoxOfficeBomb commercial failure]]. * SoOkayItsAverage is supposed to be "works that are just alright," but if often misused as "This work is supposed to be great, but I find it average!" when this is HypeBacklash.** Speaking of which, HypeBacklash is suppose to be about shows who get such a heightened expectation that viewers will leave disappointed. Tropers have translated this to Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike [[ItsPopularNowItSucks that happen to be popular]].*** Note: just stating a character's name, a plot point, or a particular defining trait of the show/book/movie etc. as the reason for generalized praise or public opinion that you think is undeserved is NOT a justification.** Doesn't help that many tropers assume it means "It's not very good, which makes it bad".* SophomoreSlump applies to series that make an awful or mediocre second installment then make a better third one. It tends to be misused as "The series becomes bad or keeps getting worse [[{{Sequelitis}} from the second installment onwards.]]"* SphereEyes is supposed to be about a cartoon character having large, connected eyes. Tropers think it's about separated eyes in general cartoons and misuse it as such.* StartOfDarkness refers to ''{{prequel}}s'' revealing a villain's backstory when that backstory wasn't revealed in the original work. Most tropers seem to just use it to mean "any villain backstory" even if the backstory is revealed within the same work that introduced the villain. Other times it's shoehorned for the first evil thing a FallenHero or otherwise soon-to-be-villain does to cement that status. You're looking for FaceHeelTurn or JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope there.* StrangledByTheRedString is a trope meaning that two characters who were, at most, friends or allies, but never had any romantic feelings who suddenly get together or express romantic interest. However, some people tend to use it to mean 'This couple had no chemistry or was very shallow', or worse, 'I didn't like this pairing'. At most, the former is RomanticPlotTumor or SatelliteLoveInterest, and the latter is just another Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike subset. This got so bad that some people would assume an entry they disagreed with as just 'I didn't like this pairing' even if it was an actual entry. Because of that, the trope became a YMMV trope.* StylisticSuck is officially meant to be about how a ShowWithinAShow will be intentionally poorly-made compared to the show it's contained within, but it's often used to refer to scenes that are meant to be happening in the main story, that are just done in an intentionally sloppy manner. That's an ArtShift.* SubvertedTrope: Or at least the word "subverted" is [[NotASubversion misused all over the place]]. The term means a bait and switch move with a trope. Many here think it means any form of PlayingWithATrope, or even playing a trope straight but [[TropesAreNotBad they want to say it's subverted anyway]].* TailorMadePrison is supposed to be a prison that is made just for the one character, but often lists any hard to escape prison which is covered by TheAlcatraz.* TastesLikeDiabetes is supposed to be about works that are insanely cute ''at the expense of quality'' (meaning they either compromise good writing and likable characters for cuteness or are just so excessively cute that enjoyment of them is hindered). Not about works that are just insanely cute; you're looking for SugarWiki/SweetDreamsFuel, which is cuteness applied in a [[{{Pun}} tasteful]] manner. There are far too many examples on the page that fit the latter but not really the former.* TeamDad and TeamMom do not specifically refer to the biological or adoptive parents of a SiblingTeam. They also cover an ''acting'' parental figure to any group of heroes. Also, they are defined by personality, not by gender; a TeamDad is strict and leads by example, while a TeamMom is warm and nurturing.* ThatOneLevel and ThatOneBoss refers to levels and bosses that are significantly harder than the ones before them, not just any hard level or boss. Otherwise, NintendoHard games may as well have every single level and boss listed as examples of either trope. They also do not mean [[DarthWiki/DethroningMomentOfSuck Dethroning Level or Boss of Suck]]; there ''are'' players who genuinely enjoy challenging parts of video games.* [[PunctuatedForEmphasis This! Is! Sparta!]] got a lot of examples that are simply the character in question being loud, not giving the required emphasis on each word, this has lead to the rename "PunctuatedForEmphasis" to ''emphasise'' what the trope was about.** This is also another one of those tropes, similar to RuleOfThree, PrecisionFStrike, and RecycledInSpace, often gets shoehorned onto pages in awkward and unnecessary ways. No page really ''needs'' somebody randomly adding in "It. Never. Stops." or some such to their own example and then pot holing to it.* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot has been reinterpreted into [[Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike complaining about plot developments you don't like]] or leaving a plot thread hanging, or WhatCouldHaveBeen.* A ToiletSeatDivorce is a divorce with very trivial grounds, which may or may not be "he always leaves the toilet seat up".* TooCoolToLive refers to a character who's so skilled or powerful (IE, "cool") that they're killed off because otherwise they'd interfere with the dynamics of the conflict. It sometimes gets reduced to "a character I liked who died."** Often the big bad, the dragon or similarly plot-important villain who dies is given as example of this trope. This is incorrect: the conflict with the big bad does not overshadow the plot, it IS the plot. Other examples include characters who were ganked during the final climactic battle or who didn't die at all. Even without these cases, most examples refer to cool characters whose death is integral to the plot, rather than a means to give other characters a chance to shine.* TrademarkFavoriteFood is supposed to mean a food which a character is so obsessed with that it becomes a defining trait for that character. Many of the examples are more along the lines of "food this character mentioned liking once".* An inversion of this is tropers thinking that mentioning a trope happening in RealLife somehow is not the same thing as stating a trope is TruthInTelevision, and feel the need to state the latter, especially in {{YKTTW}} (the reason it's not listed in the descriptions is because [=TiTV=] is an index, which can't be used in ykttw).* There's some room for debate about the exact definition of {{Tsundere}}, but it definitely is not supposed to describe any character who ever has a crush on someone and tries to hide it, nor does it mean "[[JerkWithAHeartOfGold character who is mostly angry, but sometimes nice]]," nor "[[BewareTheNiceOnes character who is mostly nice, but sometimes gets really angry]]." The Tsundere acts cranky and aggressive ''because'' she doesn't know how to deal with or properly express her more tender emotions.* {{Ubermensch}} -- not so much the trope itself, but with the definition of its polar opposite the Last Man.* UglyGuyHotWife is fairly self-explanatory, but that doesn't stop countless people from adding "I think this woman is sexy, and the guy is average at-best, so I'll add it" type stuff. The article requires near-constant pruning to prevent this and other exaggerations of what counts as "ugly". The RealLife section was even worse, and had to be axed ("this girl's not having ''my'' baby!")* UnbuiltTrope is when a work uses a trope in a serious, unsentimental way before the trope is popularized, and so ends up looking like a Deconstruction in retrospect. But [[NotADeconstruction many Tropers have Deconstruction confused with other, similar tropes]], so...* UncannyValley refers to when something looks extremely realistic (usually humanlike, but animal examples can exist), but not quite there. People have been using it to refer to creepy looking stuff in general.* UnfortunateImplications has a much more narrow definition than its name implies. [[note]]So the name of the trope itself makes for an unfortunate implication, albeit not one that would qualify for the trope.[[/note]] A lot of tropers pretty much use it for "something that one person could maybe possibly be offended by".** This one got so bad that the UnfortunateImplications index had to be cut because people were putting tropes such as "CruellaToAnimals" (supposedly because it offends people who eat meat) on there.** Also, tropers quite often pothole to Unfortunate Implications for examples of FridgeHorror. In a similar vein, the pages have tons of examples of ThatCameOutWrong listed on them, without any real implication anyone could confuse it for Unfortunate Implications. Possibly looking to sweep the inaccuracy olympics, these examples will quite often have something in them that ''outright admits'' that this example was That Came Out Wrong, thus effectively admitting that the edit has no reason to be there and that the reader's time was just wasted in reading it.* UnsoundEffect is supposed to mean a WrittenSoundEffect that's clearly not onomatopaeia, however some people have started using it to describe any unusual sounding legitimate WrittenSoundEffect.* TheUntwist became so bogged down with [[Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike "I saw that one coming a mile away"]] entries that we had to nuke the page and start over. As it is a subjective trope, you should only list examples that most people would consider Untwists.* UrExample means the earliest known example that could reasonably fit a trope. It does ''not'' mean [[SugarWiki/MostTriumphantExample the "best" example or "my favorite" example]].* VillainSong is supposed to be about a villain in the context of a storyline, but the vast majority of the music examples are simply SympatheticPOV songs. Because of this, it is very, very difficult to make a proper example of a villain song outside of the context of a ConceptAlbum as the trope doesn't describe a SympatheticPOV, but rather a song describing a story's villain in song.* A VillainProtagonist is a main character who does explicitly evil things, not a main character who is merely unlikable. While there is room for an AntiVillain to be put in the viewpoint role, tropers have a tendency to shoehorn any main character who are occasionally {{Jerkass}}es (like an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist), {{Karmic Trickster}}s, or {{Anti Hero}}es.* DarthWiki/WallBanger is about a plot point so utterly stupid and ridiculous that it exceeds all thought. Many of the examples eventually became simple FridgeLogic and complaining about plot points they didn't like, no matter how insignificant.** There are similar problems with DarthWiki/DethroningMomentOfSuck, which means the worst moment of a show (even if you still like that show, but the moment is a blemish on it) it's been worn all the way down to just "I didn't agree with this." Some of them are even worse than that, such as an example for a comedy show that's summed up as "I didn't laugh at that joke."* TheWarOnStraw, at least when it comes to TV Tropes. Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} notes that the "straw man fallacy" is the lumping of a strong opposition argument together with one or many weak ones to create a simplistic weak argument that can easily be refuted. However on TV Tropes, due to tropers not following the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement, TheWarOnStraw means "A character who is drawn only for the purposes of either proving them wrong or ridiculing them" and RealLife examples are no longer tolerated.** StrawFeminist gets some of the worst misuse as a LighterAndSofter substitute for "feminazi". It doesn't matter how radical, misandrist or [[RealWomenDontWearDresses anti-feminine]] the "feminist" is. If she is not portrayed negatively, or [[PoesLaw is a real person]], she is ''not'' a straw feminist. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment If she is a real person...]]* WaveOfBabies (of all tropes!) underwent a bit of TropeDecay. It refers to a ''literal'' wave, not just a large number of babies in a small space.* A WhamLine is an unexpected line that is a shocking factor not only for the characters but especially ''for the audience'' and has a huge impact on the plot. Tropers tend to shoehorn examples of InternalReveal or any memorable quotes (PreMortemOneLiner, ArmorPiercingQuestion, etc). WhamShot suffers the same fate.* The three tropes WhatAnIdiot, IdiotBall, and TooDumbToLive all went through this, to the point where they all became interchangeable ways to complain about character decisions people didn't like. The first is when a character makes a very dumb decision, the second is when a character makes an ''uncharacteristically'' dumb decision, and the third is when a character's dumb decision actually gets the character killed. Besides the above accidental attempts to fuse the tropes, the third is also pretty commonly used as a level of character stupidity, confusing it with TheDitz and "Ralph Wiggum" back when it was around.* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong is about an obvious catastrophe waiting to happen. Not someone literary saying the name. That's ASimplePlan.* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic got renamed to FauxSymbolism because people kept missing the "not" part, and thinking it dealt with real symbolism. The fact that RuleOfSymbolism was created later and the page about {{Symbolism}} ''[[MissingSupertrope even later]]'' didn't help much.* WhatTheHellHero refers to when a hero commits a reprehensible act and is called out for it ''in-universe''. Way too many tropers miss that crucial last part of the definition and use it to describe any instance of a hero acting like a jerk. Also, the character being called out must be a protagonist, not just any character. Reviewers pointing this out also does not count.* WhiteMagicianGirl, back when it was called Staff Chick, received massive misuse with a lot of examples of characters who played the role of WhiteMage but didn't fulfill the characterization (the White Mage trope was created later to rectify this problem), or worse, examples that took the title literally and concentrated on staffs alone (you're looking for a SimpleStaff in this case), thus, several straight examples were considered subversions because they didn't use ''staffs''.* WhyFandomCantHaveNiceThings is a bit more specific than its title would imply; it's meant to be for instances in which creators interact closely with fans of a work, only to cut down on that interaction after having ''unpleasant'' encounters with fans (or haters), disappointing the nicer fans. It has often been used for cases in which the consequence of bad behavior is something other than less fan-creator dialogue, such as cancellation of a work, retirement of a creator, or removal of a feature in a video game. (Some of which are listed as potential ''further'' consequences in the description.)* TheWoobie is supposed to be a character whose frequent or continuous suffering causes and/or attempts to cause the audience to feel sympathetic towards him as a pattern. It's often mixed up with TearJerker--which doesn't rely on a pattern--ButtMonkey--which has no audience reaction part necessary--or {{Moe}}--which leads to a similarly protective reaction but has a different trope base that doesn't usually involve tangible suffering. It's also often used as a place to collect counterexamples to characters' lives being absolutely perfect, which isn't a trope ''or'' an audience reaction (while TheWoobie itself is a mix of both), but a non-notable {{aversion}}.* {{Woolseyism}} is supposed to refer to changes in the localized version of a work that are considered superior to the native-language version of it. However, it is too commonly thrown around to simply mean any changes to the work in the localization process.* XanatosGambit was clearly defined as a plan made to benefit the planner no matter the outcome. Many tropers just saw it as a brilliant scheme no matter the method, and put just any clever plan from a character they liked in there. So we made BatmanGambit to define the trope better.** In that regard, people think XanatosRoulette means a XanatosGambit that's even ''more'' clever. They aren't too far off, but they forget that the defining characteristic is that it's so much more clever that it simply breaks people's suspension of disbelief, often because ThePlan relies too heavily on luck, hence it being a roulette. This is why the name was changed to ''GambitRoulette''; to break the association. ** Another problem was confusion with EvilPlan because of poor word choice at the article's start. It has since been corrected.* The YMMV tab is for stuff in the [[YMMV.HomePage YMMV]] index as well as AudienceReactions. Some people misuse it as listing objective tropes that they [[TropesAreNotGood think make something they don't like sound good]], or [[TropesAreNotBad the other way around]].** There are some odd and oddly pervasive instances of a sentence or phrase unambiguously gushing or complaining about a show but potholing to YMMV, likely the result of stealth justifying edits. This doesn't work even when one ignores the fact that potholing YMMV in the middle of an example ''at all'' is not supposed to happen.* A major component of a {{Yandere}} is their mad obsession over a particular character, to the point where it's toxic. If they're simply cute and sweet on the surface and dangerous and crazy underneath without having someone to obsess over romantically and/or sexually, you have CuteAndPsycho.* YouMeanXmas refers to a fictional holiday that is a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for Christmas, usually in a fantasy setting where Christianity couldn't realistically exist. It does not cover characters referring to Christmas as "Xmas".* YouSuck had to be renamed to ThisLoserIsYou because people kept thinking it was for instances of a video game mocking the player for being terrible at the game, when it's really about an AudienceSurrogate portrayed in a negative light.* {{Zeerust}} refers to ideas of "futuristic" that, while still futuristic-looking, have a "retro" look to them. Back in the Troper Tales days, people wrote Troper Tales about how they prefer their older electronics to modern-day ones, which is completely different.[[/folder]]----